Iran tests military hardware, tactics in drills

The Iranian army on Monday unveiled a hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicle during the second day of military drills underway in the country's strategic southeastern areas, Press TV reported.

The home-made drone, named Farpad, is the latest surveillance aircraft of its type to join Iran's army's ground forces.

The drone weighs four kilogram and can fly as far as 20 kilometers (12 miles) for 45 minutes.

It is used in reconnaissance missions and is capable of either storing information or transferring data via online connection.

If it comes under jamming attacks, the aircraft would return to the base, using its autopilot.

On Monday, army ground force's helicopters also fired a new version of homegrown interceptor missiles during the exercise, Tasnim news agency reported.

Choppers of ground force's airborne unit targeted the hypothetical enemy's vessels off the Sea of Oman's coasts with Toofan (Hurricane) interceptor missiles, the report said.

The interceptor missile is the upgraded version of the existing missile in terms of range, accuracy and launcher system.

On Monday, the army commander Gen. Mohsen Sayyad told reporters that homegrown electronic warfare systems with cutting edge technology are being used in the military drill.

The electronic warfare gear has been integrated into communication systems, which employ optical fiber infrastructures to transmit data, Sayyad was quoted as saying.

In the meantime, Iran's army implemented an innovative land warfare tactic that included destructive operations in a "smart battlefield," Tasnim reported.

Kamal Payambari, the spokesman for the war game, said Monday the new tactic allows for an assault with minimum number of troops that would cause maximum damage to the enemy's forces and equipment before a simultaneous or phased rapid offense against occupied zones.

Combat drones were flown on Monday as part of tactical operations to target the hypothetical enemy's command and control centers, Payambari was quoted as saying.

Besides, two Dassault Mirage F1 warplanes hit ground targets on the Makran coasts on Monday operations.

The drill, code-named Muhammad Rasulullah-4 (Muhammad, the Messenger of God), covers an area of more than 220,000 square km and will last until Tuesday.

Commander of army ground forces Brig. Gen. Kioumars Heidari said Sunday that units from various forces of the army are taking part in the exercises.

Peyambari said Sunday that the participating units will display their efficacy and work to enhance their readiness in responding to operational requirements and threats.

Other goals of the drill are testing new defense systems, reducing the average response time to potential threats as well as training younger commanders in modern battles, the spokesman said. Endit